Political Beliefs/Transcript
Transcript Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby Tim is standing in his bedroom, putting something into his backpack. His bedroom door opens. Moby is standing in the doorway wearing a tie-dyed T-shirt with a peace sign on it, love beads, and rose-colored sunglasses. He has a flower behind one ear. TIM: Hey, since when are you a hippie? MOBY: Beep. Tim reads from a typed letter. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, what makes you a Democrat or a Republican? From, Davis. Well, there's no one thing that automatically makes you a Democrat or a Republican. Images show a donkey, which symbolizes the Democratic Party, and an elephant, which symbolizes the Republican Party. TIM: Those are the two major political parties in the United States. Identifying yourself with a political party usually means that you share its beliefs. Or at least a good chunk of them. You can register with a political party if you want when you turn eighteen. That's actually the technical way to become a party member. But you don't have to. Many people are registered as independent, or simply not affiliated with any major party. MOBY: Beep. Moby is now dressed in a suit and tie. TIM: That's true. Democrats don't always vote for Democrats, and Republicans don't always vote for Republicans. Casting a vote has a lot to do with what's going on in the world at the time and your opinion of the individual candidate. Let's back up for a second and talk about political beliefs. What exactly are they, and where do they come from? An animation shows a United States flag, waving in the wind. TIM: There are basic core beliefs that pretty much all Americans can agree on: freedom, equality, democracy. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Right. You've heard those laid out in our Constitution, in its Bill of Rights, and in our Declaration of Independence. An animation shows the three documents Tim names. TIM: But when you get beyond these abstract beliefs that we all rally around, people start to get divided. An animated map of the United States is covered with human silhouettes of different colors, representing the diversity of beliefs among American citizens. TIM: I mean, no one's going to argue that freedom isn't a good thing; but what does freedom really mean? What kind of freedom are we talking about, and how far should it go? When it comes to real-life issues like education, the environment, health care, foreign policy, jobs and the economy, race and gender relations, and national security, political opinions are as widely varied as you can possibly imagine. An animation displays a series of quickly-moving symbols that represent the political and social issues that Tim names. MOBY: Beep. Moby is now wearing a monk's robe. TIM: How do we form these opinions? How do we form these opinions… Well, our political ideologies, or beliefs, are shaped by where we come from, our culture, ethnicity, religion, where we grew up, what we learn from our families. A series of animations represents the origins of political beliefs. Text reads: Culture, Ethnicity, Religion, Upbringing. TIM: And then we're influenced by what we hear from people at school, and at work, from politicians, and of course, the media. Additional animated graphics represent what Tim describes. Text reads: School, Work, Politicians, The Media. TIM: A person's political beliefs often shift and change as they grow older and hear more about the issues, and have more personal experiences. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Yeah, whoa. Moby is now wearing an eye patch and a vest. TIM: People can get pretty passionate about their beliefs. That's a good thing. An animation shows two politicians on a stage. Each man is standing behind a podium. Both are gesturing wildly as they speak. TIM: Real debate is a healthy environment for ideas. An animation shows two adults having a polite but intense discussion. TIM: But respecting others' beliefs is important, too. You can be friends with people who don't share all your political beliefs. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Political beliefs even vary within families. An image shows a mother, father, and two teenage children. Each is wearing a T-shirt representing a different political belief. TIM: Political parties, like the Democratic Party, Republican Party, and the Green Party, are defined by their political platforms. A platform is a set of issues and principles that a political party supports. An animated series of symbols represents various political issues. TIM: So when people vote, they're likely to vote for the candidate from the party whose platform is closest to their own political ideology, and whose actions in office will best represent their beliefs. An animation shows a row of occupied voting booths. MOBY: Beep. Moby is now wearing a futuristic looking space suit. TIM: Um, no. You can't vote for more than one party's candidate. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, because you just can't. Why do you keep changing clothes? Moby is now wearing a tutu. He touches Tim on the head with a magic wand. A bell dings. Category:BrainPOP Transcripts